


The T180 Rally

by N_Chu4Ever



Category: Speed Racer (2008)
Genre: Death Threats, EVERYONE is here - Freeform, I'm posting this bc I don't wanna edit SR2, it's a nightmare to edit okay, this is shorter than SR2 btw, yep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:08:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24452638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/N_Chu4Ever/pseuds/N_Chu4Ever
Summary: Remember the ending of the original Speed Racer anime? Well, have it transposed into the movie's world... though Lovelace is not an asshole and someone else is after Speed's head.
Relationships: Mifune Gou | Speed Racer/Shimura Michi | Trixie
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Thunderhead. 

Known as the oldest active track in the state, and possibly the country, it had been the training grounds of many teams over the decades it had stood. 

The Racer Motors team, known affectionately as the GO Team, was just one of many, but ever since Rex Racer had captured the track record almost eleven years ago, they had become as well known as the DeWitt family, of whom Velocity DeWitt had built the track.

A Racer was on there now, of course. It was a quiet evening, and Speed Racer, the youngest winner of the WRL’s Annual Grand Prix and a kick-starter of the investigation into Royalton Industries, was out there almost completely alone, in the recently repaired Mach 6. He said almost, because the maintenance crews were always there, and also because another local driver was on the track. Speed didn’t know the driver, but he recognised the team. Goldminter Industries had recently been cleared of any racing wrongdoing, though they had been connected to Royalton (Speed half-suspected they bought their freedom), and had now put their drivers back into training for the upcoming T180 season. Speed was looking forward to trying for the Grand Prix again, and he had a feeling this driver was as well. The only weird thing was that this wasn’t their home track.

Eventually, after a couple of laps, he turned on his radio and called,  
“Mach 6 to Golf India… 6-7. Howdy! What on earth are you doing out here so late?””  
 _“Howdy Mach 6!”_ a female voice laughed. _“I could ask you the same thing, Grand Prix Champion! But to answer your question, I’m training! I presume you are as well?”_  
“Yeah. What are you doing at Thunderhead, though? Your track is the Westbound Arena on the other side of the city.”  
 _“Westbound has been closed for refurbishment, and I need to train right now. Seriously, I really do need to.”_  
“Why? The season doesn’t start for another two months.” There had been a number of off-season rallies, but those had all ended by the end of March.  
 _“My father has decided to host a massive rally. Hang on, pull over, I’ll explain better.”_

The Golf India was Goldminter’s signature T180, painted in a light gold and white, and Speed marvelled at it briefly as the car pulled to a stop next to the Mach 6, before he took off his helmet and pushed himself out to meet the driver. Like her voice had suggested, it was a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, a few years older than him. He vaguely recognised her, but couldn’t put a name to the face. Much to his relief, she answered that herself, though it surprised him.  
“Lovelace Goldminter,” she smiled, shaking his hand.  
“Oh… You’re the Goldminter heir!” Speed realised. “I didn’t see you at all last season, though.” It was true – GI had stayed out of racing last year, though they’d refused to explain why.  
“My father had a feeling that things were going to go pretty wack,” Lovelace shrugged, before laughing, “And whaddya know? The bastard was right.”

“So what’s this rally your father is planning?” Speed now referred to Andres Goldminter, the CEO of Goldminter Industries and one of the richest (and least corrupt) men in the racing world. “And why train in a T180 if it’s a rally?” GI had perfectly good rally cars, after all.  
“It’s a T180 rally,” Lovelace said, as if it were the most casual thing in the world instead of being something borderline insane.  
“A _what?!_ ”  
“My father’s been building the course for years in the Kingdom of Krystallyn. Three days, with multiple recharging stations. It’ll be announced tomorrow.”  
“Good _grief_ , Lovelace, you _know_ that T180s are meant to only go on their tracks for a reason – it clogs the T180 system otherwise, and eventually cause structural failure!” Speed exclaimed. “Not to mention that they aren’t meant to run for several days!”  
“Why do you think he chose Krystallyn, then? The Kingdom of Crystal?” That made him shut up, triggering a blush across his cheeks. He’d forgotten that almost that entire particular kingdom was covered in strangely malleable crystal.  
“Sorry,” he apologised, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.  
“Nah, I had the same reaction. In fact, so did most of the team. If you’re interested, it’ll be one driver per team, though I suspect that doesn’t really change anything for you.” Speed snorted at that. He _was_ the only GO Team driver.

“It _does_ sound pretty interesting,” he admitted, after a moment of pause. “Is it WRL approved?”  
“Got approved yesterday, but it won’t change any rankings. My father is offering a full cash prize, going to the team that wins.”  
“How much?”  
“Five million dollars.” His eyes widened.  
 _“Five million?!_ Jeez, that’s ten times my yearly salary from the WRL!” He paused. “It’s also five times how much Royalton put on my head when I was getting through the changing rooms.” Lovelace winced in sympathy, but adopted a grin quickly and said,  
“I’ll put you down as highly interested, then. Should I put you down as the Racer Motors team slash GO Team?”  
“Yeah – our alliance with Team Togokahn was temporary.”  
“You got it. If you do choose to enter, though, I warn you – my father may have allowed certain weaponry onto the field.”  
“Wait, what—?!” But Lovelace leapt back into her car and drove off; it left Speed feeling rather conflicted about what had just happened. After all, five million dollars was enough to keep Racer Motors running for years. He just had a bad feeling that, with weaponry allowed, he’d be fighting tooth and nail just to place.

He didn’t know if the information he’d been given was secret or not, so he didn’t tell his family once he got back from the track. He was fairly exhausted anyway, having gone once again around the track a few times, and so Mom and Pops didn’t ask why he looked so contemplative. Trixie noticed, but she knew well enough that her boyfriend would talk eventually. Sparky, Spritle and Chim-Chim were too busy having a Viking-style battle over the last pint of ice cream in the yard to notice, and soon enough Speed decided to join them, dragging Trixie into it as well.  
As they all fought for the pint, Mom just shook her head fondly.  
“Kids,” she laughed. “Always causing trouble.”


	2. The Race is Announced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family becomes aware of the race, and so Speed signs up. Also, chapter lengths are inconsistent.

“Hey everyone, a race is being announced!” Spritle shouted, at about midday the next day, and the word ‘race’ alone was enough to bring everyone into the living room. Speed still had a pair of goggles on from where he'd been doing superficial repairs to the Mach 5, and quickly lifted them once he remembered his conversation with Lovelace. Indeed, in front of a crowd of reporters, was Andres Goldminter.

 _“Hello, racing fans,”_ he smiled. _“My name is Andres Goldminter. You probably know me as CEO of Goldminter Industries, and the coach of the GI Team. You also probably know that my team was absent last year from the WRL. Regardless, I am here to announce the opening of what will hopefully become a major race for the Kingdom of Krystallyn – the first ever T180 Rally!”_ There was an immediate uproar from the reporters, while most of the family looked shocked. Speed knew he probably looked a bit sheepish.  
“T180s in a _rally?_ Is he _insane?!”_ Spritle exclaimed.  
“Quiet, he’s speaking again,” Pops scolded.  
_“Now, now, I know that sounds insane. Believe me, I thought I was insane when a friend of mine suggested the idea. But Krystallyn is made up almost entirely of malleable crystal, which is harder than diamond and cannot be shattered.”_  
_“Mr Goldminter,”_ someone interrupted, _“Can you give us any details on the rally itself?”_  
_“Yes, yes. It will take place over three days, with multiple recharging stations across the course. Most offensive and defensive weaponry, as recently approved in rallies by the WRL, but excluding the spearhook, will be permitted. Only one driver per registered team will be allowed. Finally, the prize is not a change in ranking, but a cash prize of five million dollars.”_  
“Five _million…_ ” Poor Mom actually _staggered_ from the size of that prize. Speed just felt his heart race – even though he’d heard all this from Lovelace, hearing it from the CEO himself made him feel _electrified._

Several questions regarding just what weaponry followed, as well as clarifying when the race would be held (in two weeks), but Mom turned the TV off after a while so that the family could talk.  
“Five million dollars,” Sparky laughed. “We could have a pool!”  
“And endless candy,” Spritle salivated. Chim-Chim also salivated, both imagining a swimming pool of candy.  
“It sounds risky,” Pops frowned. “Speed, what do you think?”  
“I, uh, I already knew about it.” Everyone looked at him. He squirmed slightly under the attention. “I ran into Lovelace Goldminter – Mr Goldminter’s daughter – while I was training last night. I asked her why she was at Thunderhead and she let the whole thing spill. Once I got over the shock… I may have said I was interested in taking part.”  
“I can’t say I’m exactly surprised,” Trixie grinned, adding teasingly, “Was Miss Lovelace pretty!”  
“Trix!” her poor flustered boyfriend whined.  
“Three days…” Pops murmured. “T180s aren’t meant to drive for that long.” He got out of his seat, and paced for a few minutes. “I’d have to check with the CIB what their thoughts on it, but…” He turned back with a grin. “I think we’re going to Krystallyn!”  
“WOOHOO!” the youngest cheered. Speed, flustered and happy, just sank back into his chair, laughing. He had a feeling he’d just gotten into something insane.

Two weeks soon passed, and during that time, the Mach 6 had been given multiple upgrades.  
“Racer X isn’t pleased you’re taking part,” Minx had laughed, once Speed sheepishly approached her about the upgrades, “But he _does_ want you to be safe.”  
“Is he racing as well?” he’d asked.  
“No. He’ll be keeping an eye on you and your family, though. Said it was out of a sense of duty and friendship. I say he’s a moron who still feels guilty about Casa Cristo.”  
“I mean, that’s fair. Any word if Taejo’s taking part?”  
“If he is, he hasn’t come to me. Then again, I _did_ yell at him for six hours for turning his back on us.”

The upgrades, unsurprisingly, were very similar to those on the Mach 5, with one major difference, besides the lack of a homing robot.  
“While the Mach 5 had the tire shields, they’ll be effectively useless on a T180 – it would jam up the drift system. Instead, they are replaced with an aquatic mode,” Minx explained.  
“Aquatic?” Speed interrupted, confused. “Why would I need an aquatic mode?”  
“Most of the course is on dry land, but some of it heads out over the Krystallyn Sea. It’ll be winter when you race, so the underwater mode is mostly so that you don’t freeze to death if you get thrown in. It’ll also get you back on track if your crash isn’t as bad as the one at Fuji.”  
“Is that legal?”  
“Kid, I am the law.” He didn’t have anything witty to respond with, so shrugged and asked,  
“How will the saws work?”  
“I’m glad you asked…” Minx was talking for a very long time, but by the time she finished, Speed knew more about saws than anyone else in the CIB.

It was now just hours before the race was due to begin. For the past seventy-two hours, while the teams prepared for the race and the GO Team in particular studied the course map, the T180s brought to the track were safely stored in their respective garages. Over a hundred teams had come to take part, and Speed reckoned the cost of building the course and all those garages would’ve been a lot of money if not for the fact that most of it was Krystallyn-owned crystals. The number of cars also meant that it would be a difficult start, but Pops was fairly confident in his son’s abilities after the dozens of rallies he’d taken part in recently.

Funnily enough, the most difficult part of the process leading up to the race was what Speed would wear. His Grand Prix uniform was out of the question – it had been designated the Grand Prix uniform for a reason – and his Casa Cristo uniform, no matter how iconic it was considered now, was still being repaired after Speed had torn it during his last rally. So, after some thought, the family went with the uniform Speed had worn to last year’s Thunderhead race, apart from the addition of the Casa Cristo red ascot. Speed didn’t actually know if it was an ascot, but he didn’t argue with the press. He just pulled on the new T180-approved shoes over his usual red socks and began his pre-race ritual. _Pull on your jacket, grab your helmet, and grab that photo of Rex you’ve always kept in your pocket._ God, he missed Rex, and, glancing up to the heavens, Speed prayed that his brother was looking down on him with grace.  
_“All drivers to your cars please, all drivers to your cars.”_ He grinned. _It’s show time._


	3. The First Leg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The race begins!

Despite the fact that the racing world had had only two weeks of preparation before the race, the young Racer could hear the _roaring_ of the crowds present, even as they were high in the air. Many of them would follow the race from high above the course in K-Harriers or even the odd helicopter, and the Racer family would be of no exception. Since it was just one driver, Sparky and Trixie had debated for a few hours on who would spot, before it was agreed that both of them could watch over Speed. The other Racers would ride in a CIB-provided helicopter, providing advice if asked but otherwise acting as part of the crowd. Trixie and Sparky were already in the air, so Speed arrived at the Mach 6 to find Minx finishing a check-over.  
“Nobody’s stupid enough to try and hack into an armed vehicle,” she surmised. “Nothing’s been tampered with. Good luck in the race.”  
“Thanks, Minx,” Speed grinned, before calling up to the helicopters, “This is the Mach 6 calling TRX and CIB-Alpha.”  
_“Reading you loud and clear, superstar,”_ Trixie responded, and Speed could hear the grin in her voice.  
_“Clear on my end too,”_ Sparky added, sounding more nervous than excited.  
_“And clear with us,”_ Pops finished gruffly. _“Good luck, Speed.”_  
“Thanks Pops. I’ll try and win this money for the team,” Speed grinned, and signed off, glancing around at the competition. He could just see the car of Lovelace Goldminter, though the driver herself was absent for now, a Flying Fox, probably Delila, a member of the Hydra-Cell team, though the driver’s identity was beyond him, and a number of teams he only vaguely recognised, including one painted in black and red. He grimaced when he saw a Three Roses car. How they’d gotten through the Royalton investigation was, again, beyond him.

It was now only about fifteen minutes before the race was due to begin, and Speed was stretching next to the Mach 6, since (assuming he’d get past the beginning) he’d probably be in the T180 for quite some time. Other drivers were talking to their teams, as he’d already done so, while others were stretching like him, and still more were posing for the crowd.  
_“Drivers, please be seated. The King of Krystallyn will now speak, as we are racing today in his country.”_ Finishing his stretch, Speed climbed into the Mach 6’s cockpit and turned his attention to a screen above the starting track, slipping on his helmet when prompted. An older man – clearly the King from the crown he was wearing – stood there.  
_“Good morning, drivers, teams and those watching from above and from home,”_ he smiled. _“Welcome to the first and hopefully annual Krystallyn T180 Rally. When Andres Goldminter approached me with the idea, I thought he was insane, but already we are beginning to see a massive increase in tourists from this race alone. It is my hope that this becomes our defining race, and because of the nature of our crystals, we will endeavour to change up the race’s course every year if it becomes part of the WRL’s annual line-up. Many fine drivers are here today, and I wish you all good luck, and may the best driver win!”_

They were now at one minute til the start of the race. The announcer had already called for the T180s to be started up, and so the Mach 6 had roared into life alongside her competitors. She hadn’t been used in a race since the Grand Prix, after all, and despite the fact that she was a car, Speed had a feeling the Mach 6 was looking forward to kicking some ass. Soon, a new announcer took over to announce the countdown.  
_“The Krystallyn T180 Rally’s first leg will begin in: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, **GO!”** _

“And they’re off! There’s already been multiple collisions, but Speed Racer in the Mach 6 has deftly avoided all of them!” Seasoned race commentators Ingrid Princeton and Johnny ‘Goodboy’ Jones were up in the main commentator’s helicopter, watching and of course commentating as the race began. Johnny had provided that starting piece of commentary.  
“I can’t say I’m surprised, Johnny – that kid’s as good at rallies as he is at track races!” Ingrid agreed. “Look – he’s just leapt over an attempt by Carceno Automobiles’ James Juniper to stop him mid-track!”  
“I have a feeling he’ll at least survive to the second race. Up ahead, we can see Prince Kabala – whom we last saw being blown up at last year’s Grand Prix – facing off against the Three Roses’ Genevieve Harper, and just behind them is Hydra-Cell’s Kyra Cobra! Snake Oiler, as we all know, is still under his one-year ban from racing for his attempt to shoot Speed Racer in the Casa Cristo, which was attributed to altitude sickness but is believed to have been deliberate by many.”  
“Speed Racer, speak of the devil, is catching up fast, taking out a number of cars as he aims for the front of the pack. It should be noted that he is the youngest driver in the rally, but he may be the most skilled here, as he’s raced on both dirt and track. Let’s see how well he does!”

_This was incredible!_ The Krystallyn crystal had certainly been ready to do its job, taking the Mach 6 over loops and turns even as he fought to take the lead. Prince Kabala was causing trouble, of course, and soon he saw the first usually illegal move of the race – diamond spikes at the ends of the prince’s wheels. Kyra Cobra, as Sparky quickly informed him, managed to avoid the spikes, and soon Speed leapt over Kabala’s car during a period of flat track, before activating the new crampons for a particularly steep climb. He didn’t know how this counted as a rally apart from the weapons, because what he’d gone through so far in the race all seemed pretty standard for something like Fuji. It wasn’t until the remaining drivers - as usual, the beginning had knocked out many of the teams - hit a stretch of open road that he realised just why it was being considered a rally.

_“Sparky, are you seeing just how long this road is?!”_ came Speed’s voice over the TRX’s radio system.  
“I certainly am!” Sparky answered. “It stretches on for a good hundred miles! Krystallyn is a fairly big kingdom, after all.”  
_“Okay but—whoa!”_ Both Sparky and Trixie winced as the Mach 6 narrowly avoided the driver for Thor-Azine’s attempt at smashing the car. _“This is going to be a long race, isn’t it?”_  
“Probably, but you’re the one who wanted to try and win five million bucks,” Trixie grinned.  
_“I know, I know! Wait… Holy crap this is about to go over the **sea!** Man, even after reviewing the course… I’ll radio you guys if I need help.”_ Both had a feeling Speed wouldn’t ask for much help.  
“You got it!” they answered cheerfully.

“The top speed of the Mach 6 was recently made public,” Ingrid commented, watching as the Mach 6 raced ahead of her competitors. “It’s something like three-fifty miles.”  
“Or, in normal terms, just over five-sixty-three kilometres,” Johnny joked, before exclaiming, “Here comes Lovelace Goldminter! No one knows what the heir to the Goldminter fortune will do if she wins, but she’s giving it all she’s got! If anyone else had reached the front, she might have reached them, but Speed Racer is the king of the open road, no matter _what_ he’s driving!”  
“He really doesn’t care about the people behind him – if he keeps this up, he’s a shoo-in for the five million!”

No matter how many rallies he drove the Mach 5 in, there was just something satisfying about streaking ahead of the competition in the Mach 6. She took the curves of the road (there were few of them for now, but still) like Rex had played the piano – beautifully and gracefully. In fact, Speed reckoned, she handled even better than the _last_ Mach 6.  
_“Rest in peace, old girl, you served me well up until Fuji,”_ he thought, before he saw a flashing sign up ahead - _Recharging Station One-Alpha._  
_“Speed,"_ Sparky interrupted, _"You’ve got your first recharging station up ahead. Do you think you need to take it?”_ He glanced at his power cell gauge. He’d been driving for some time by now, and while the levels weren’t dangerously low, he decided he wouldn’t take any chances.  
“I probably don’t need to take it, but I might as well recharge quickly,” he answered, and so slid into one of the quick-chargers and waited for it to recharge. He tuned into the commentary radio as he did so.  
_“Oh, and Speed Racer has pulled into the recharging station, leaving Lovelace Goldminter to streak ahead! A wise move, but will he be able to retake the lead? That’s one hell of a gap he’s leaving.”_  
_“Are you kidding, Ingrid? He’s Speed Racer! You saw how he handled at Casa Cristo and the Grand Prix, not to mention every rally since. This kid is in the top ten for a reason!”_  
Grinning, and hearing the _beep_ that signified his cells were refuelled, he pushed the acceleration pedals to the mettle and sent the car roaring ahead, chasing down the cars that had gotten ahead of him in the process.

He was right to have refuelled – as he ricocheted off a jump, he noted that Lovelace next to him was lagging.  
“Mach 6 to Golf-India 6-7, you’re lagging, what’s up?” he radioed. Since Lovelace wasn’t actively trying to down him, he considered it safe enough to radio her.  
_“Take a **wild guess,** Mach 6.You were smart to refuel earlier,”_ Lovelace bit, and Speed rolled his eyes.  
“Well, if you recover, I’ll see you at the finish line!” he cackled, and cut the connection just as he heard the older woman swear at him.  
_“Speed,”_ he heard Trixie laugh, _“You’re an ass.”_  
“Maybe, but I think it’s a perk,” Speed joked, and Sparky snorted on the other end, while Trixie burst into flat out proper laughter.  
_“It’s a good thing I’m not piloting,”_ she wheezed, _“Because otherwise I would’ve lost the copter!”_

The rest of the leg passed without much incident, though Lovelace _did_ manage to recover, and (to nobody’s surprise) the Mach 6 easily won the first leg. Speed spent a good few minutes signing autographs and getting mobbed by people wanting a picture, while other drivers passed into their respective garages, with more than a few dirty looks sent to the teenage driver. After all, the race was not without its fair share of _crooks._


	4. The Villains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Say hi to the fic's villains, and Racer X finally makes an appearance. This is a short one, because honestly I don't want to lump in the second leg.

A few hours later, as the crowds dispersed to their hotels and most of the drivers headed for a few hours of strategizing and relaxation, one team gathered in a sealed off room. This team, not really noticed during the race by the commentators or even Speed himself, was known only as the Dark Wolf Team, who’d driven in the black and red car Speed had seen at the starting line earlier. The reason they went unnoticed was because they actively avoided being too far forward or too far back in the rankings, acting as part of the middle crowd. Their leader, though, was a major criminal who’d managed to avoid the chaos of the Royalton investigation. He was known as Dirk Hartley, or more commonly, the Alpha Wolf. He’d terrorised towns for years, and had recently made the leap to racing. He was after that five million. He was also annoyed with his driver for failing to catch the leg’s winner at the beginning of the race.  
“I may have hired you to stay inconspicuous, but Speed Racer is our greatest threat!” he hissed. “If you don’t pull your shit together and catch that kid tomorrow, we’ll _never_ catch up to him by the time we come to leg three! He needs to be dealt with as soon as possible!”  
“Sir, the Mach 6 can go three hundred and fifty miles per hour,” his driver, the inconspicuously named Arthur Wolfe, argued. “He’s faster than even _Night Wolf!”_ Arthur referred to the team’s signature T180, the aforementioned red and black car.  
“Then I suggest using one of the weapons at your disposal,” Alpha snarled, “Otherwise that five million is as good as gone!” There was a pause, as Arthur's face broke into a truly evil grin.  
“What do you recommend?”  
“Anything, and we’ll even destroy one of the charging stations…” 

Holding onto gating just outside the hotel room, using a specialised listening device to hear the conversation inside, was Racer X. Formerly known by his true identity of Rex Racer, X had forgone taking part in the race to make sure his little brother Speed wasn’t absolutely _murdered_ during the race. He’d had a bad feeling about the Dark Wolf team, and the moment his vocal analysis system told him who the leader was, his feelings were proven correct. As he quickly abseiled back down to the ground floor, where his room was, his mind fired terrible thought upon terrible thought, causing a pit of worry to form in his stomach.

“Speed’s in danger,” he explained to Minx, once the room was checked for bugs and they'd soundproofed part of it for this very conversation. “The man leading the Dark Wolf team is Alpha Wolf.”  
“God, I had a feeling someone like him would show up,” Minx groaned. “There’s no point in trying to stop Speed from racing, but we’ll have to let him know.”  
“I know. The only problem in _that_ lies in the fact that he’s asleep already.”  
“And how do you know that?”  
“Saw it at Casa Cristo. He tends to force himself to sleep before big races.” 

Indeed, a few rooms across and up on the second floor, Speed had already fallen asleep. He had a feeling tomorrow’s leg would be more challenging than today’s, and knew that he’d need to be fully operational for anything that might happen. Like most of the time during his races, he had no idea how much trouble he could be in for.


	5. The Second Leg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the second leg baby, and the bad guys attempt to get rid of Speed.

_“And off they go again! Speed Racer once again deftly avoids any attempts at boxing him in, this time by Dark Wolf’s Arthur Wolfe! Wolfe doesn’t look too happy about that, but Speed seems unfazed—Actually, wait, is he…? Hah! He’s taunting Wolfe!”_ ‘Taunting’ was an understatement. Speed was poking out his tongue at the other car and _winking_ as he leapt over another, seemingly by intuition alone.  
 _“Speed, I know you’re having fun, but you **do** remember this leg is defined by how many loops it has, right?”_ Trixie laughed.  
“I know, I know. Can’t wait to see if anyone’s stupid enough to try and buzz me when I’m looping,” the teenage Racer grinned, and settled in for that first loop. He’d become more accustomed to them since the last time he’d been on a looping course (Fuji), and so easily took them on while also talking to Trixie and Sparky. Soon, though, a third voice joined the call.  
 _“Speed? Can you hear me?”_  
“Oh hey Racer X!” Speed greeted, narrowly avoiding someone’s attempt at shredding his tires. “Minx said you’d be here. What’d you think of yesterday’s race?”  
 _“You have a nasty habit of making me age five years every single time you do something stupid,”_ X deadpanned, much to Trixie and Sparky’s amusement, before he added, _“I came on call to warn you about the Dark Wolf team. They could be quite dangerous.”_  
“Yeah, I saw. I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks!”

For most of the leg, it was a fairly normal race. Recharge, occasionally eat something because oh _god_ they were out here _forever,_ avoid people trying to derail you, and occasionally taunt the competition. The Mach 6 regularly kept up her lead from the previous day, but about halfway through the race, Speed encountered a bit of a problem.  
“Mach 6 to TRX – where’s the next charging station? I’m starting to get low, even from the full charge at the last one,” he called in.  
 _“We’ve got a problem – that charging station’s no longer on the map!”_ Sparky realised. _“Someone’s blown it up! You’re going to have to find another way to stay ahead!”_  
“I can’t keep up this speed for another section! I’ll crash!”  
 _“Mach 6 from Minx – use the water! There’s an section coming up that basically borders the water, and it can run on aquatic power until you reach the next charging station!”_ Minx suddenly phoned in.  
“Minx, you think of _everything!”_

“Is… is the Mach 6 about to fall into the water on us? It’s edging dangerously close to the water,” Ingrid muttered, focusing in on the high-tech car.  
“It might be, but considering that the same person who upgraded the Mach 5 also upgraded the Mach 6, I think they’ve thought about this problem,” Johnny answered. “Wait… There it goes! It just jumped into the water!”  
“Well. That’s disappointing.”  
“Indeed. Clearly, it couldn’t keep up its… lead… _Are those hydrofoils?!”_

Indeed, powered by water flushing through its engine and with a brand new canopy sitting snugly over the cockpit, the Mach 6 had turned into a hydrofoil! The powercells were sent into idle, at least until the Mach 6 could reach the next charging station, and he saw at least _two_ stunned drivers as he sped past, making up for lost ground.  
“I don’t believe it! The kid’s got hydrofoils!” Arthur Wolfe exclaimed.  
 _“WHAT?!”_ Alpha snarled over the radio. _“HOW?!”_  
 _“Well, sir, he was helped by the CIB,”_ one of the ground mechanics provided unhelpfully.  
 _ **“DAMN HIM!”**_

Up ahead, Lovelace was certain she was going to become the winner of the second leg, when the Mach 6 abruptly _launched over the railing_ in front of her, doing a _full barrel roll,_ before cruising into a charging lane, Speed whooping in excitement as he did so.  
“Hell yeah!” he cheered. “I can’t believe I pulled that off!”  
 _“I think we’re going to need that for the Mach 5!”_ Sparky cackled.  
 _“Minx, you’re a damn genius,”_ Trixie laughed.  
 _"Thank you,"_ Minx responded graciously. Moments later, fully recharged, Speed took back to the track, where he would easily win the second leg of the race after speeding around a loop that twisted and turned at the weirdest angles. He, as well as a few other drivers (including Arthur and Lovelace), was through to the final leg.


	6. Scheming and Alliances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bad guys scheme and an unlikely alliance is formed.

That night was spent devising strategies. While the GO Team spoke mostly about how the track would deviate into the mountains, leading to some rather icy conditions, and Lovelace considered pulling out of the race, the Dark Wolf team was awash with _fury._  
“He had a water mode ready!” Alpha snarled, even more infuriated than the previous night. “He _knew_ that someone would try and attack him!”  
“Sir, the WRL _did_ legalise most rally weaponry, both defence and offensive. The kid was probably just trying to protect himself in general,” someone pointed out. Alpha gave that poor man a look that would kill.  
“You are extremely lucky I don’t have a gun, because otherwise you’d be _dead.”_ He turned back to Arthur. “If you don’t take him out, I swear, and you somehow survive the race, you will be summarily _executed,_ understand?! Use everything you have, damn it! And that includes killing him!” Arthur just gave his superior an eerily _pleased_ look.  
"I thought you'd never ask."

The GO Team was in the middle of talking about the final leg when they heard a knock at the door. Spritle answered it, and immediately slammed it again out of instinct. Speed let out a low groan, while Mom called,  
“I’m dreadfully sorry about that, X; you can come in now.” Soon, after Sparky opened the door for him, the Masked Racer walked in with a familiar face.  
“Inspector Detector,” they all recognised.  
“Speed, Mom and Pops Racer, Trixie, Sparky, Spritle… Chim-Chim.” The half-friendly chimpanzee looked pleased to be acknowledged.  
“What are you doing here?” Speed asked. “I thought you were still wrapping up your latest case.”  
“I was, but Racer X came across some very disturbing information. It was disturbing enough that we brought someone else with us.” With that, a sheepish Lovelace entered.  
“Um, hi,” she greeted awkwardly. “He said it was vital we knew about this, so I’m here.”  
“Hey Lovelace,” Speed, Trixie and Sparky all called, while Spritle rolled his eyes with Chim-Chim, and the parents just nodded.

Once they were all seated, the Inspector began to speak about what had been found over the past few days.  
“Racer X has been keeping a close eye on the other drivers, mostly to make sure they’re driving within the rules, and he has uncovered disturbing information about the Dark Wolf team,” he explained.  
“Yeah, he warned us during the race,” Speed frowned. “You didn’t give much information, though, X.”  
“That was because I didn’t want to spook you off the track,” X sighed.  
“We know who the leader of the Dark Wolf team is… and you’re probably not going to like who it is.” They all tensed up. “The leader of the team is none other than the criminal Alpha Wolf.”  
“Christ, I haven’t heard that name since I did work for Mishida,” Pops groaned. Speed, as someone whose life was now dominated by attacks on him and his family thanks to his fame, just grimaced, along with most of the group.  
“That explains why Wolfe was trying to take you out,” Sparky frowned.  
“He blew up the recharging station, didn’t he?” Trixie asked hurriedy, horrified by the thought.  
“He most certainly did. We believe that he’s authorised a full on attack on you tomorrow, because he views you as a major threat to his gaining of finances. If he gets that much money, he could very well become a major influence on the racing world - something we only just managed to start dealing with. We want you to ally yourself with Lovelace because of it.”  
“So that we don’t get killed,” Lovelace realised. She put her head in her hands and groaned. “Jeez, and I thought my dad had managed to weed out the worst of them!” She turned to Speed. “Well? I’m not going to ask to share the prize money – if anyone, you deserve it – but I think we’re going to need to be allied.”  
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Miss Lovelace,” Speed agreed, and they shook hands, though their thoughts were now grimly aimed at the thought of being taken out just for corporate gain. This final leg was not going to be pretty.


	7. The Third Leg Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it: The final part of the race that will determine who leaves with five million. Speed is now aware of the dangerous villains - will he be able to get through this race alive?

_“And we’re now approaching our third and final leg of the Krystallyn T180 Rally! To match the bitingly cold air of the area near the mountains, the mood today is serious. Even Speed Racer, who was seen to be mostly upbeat yesterday, is looking ready for a fight. Only five teams are left: The GO Team, the GI Team, Prince Kabala’s team, the Monster Energy Drink Team and, of course, the dark horse of yesterday, the Dark Wolf Team. The race itself, in addition to being the most difficult of the three legs, is also the longest – where the other tracks lasted eight hours, this race will take the drivers all the way into the dark of midnight. It’s very tense, folks, and there are several dead spots throughout the mountains. We wish all of the drivers here the best of luck, and may the best driver win.”_

The Thunderhead uniform had been given some padding a few hours ago, but Speed still felt chilly. Maybe it was the wind; maybe it was the angry look being sent his way by Arthur Wolfe; regardless of what it was, Speed still felt woefully inadequate. The crampons and saws would probably be his saviours up in the mountains, but even Minx admitted that she didn’t know how the Racer would react to the mountains.  
_“They’re an eerie set of mountains,”_ she sighed over the radio. _“According to legend, they’re the original home of the Krystallyn fair folk. Anything can happen in there, especially where T180s armed with weaponry are concerned.”_  
_“Regardless, Speed, **please be careful,”**_ Trixie and Mom both fretted.  
"I will, Trix, Mom, I promise," Speed reassured, even as his stomach twisted at the track ahead.  
_“Speed, if in doubt, throw monkey cookies,”_ Spritle joked, and that put a smile on Speed’s face, even as he waited for the countdown to begin. A small spare compartment under his seat was stocked with food for later in the day, as it had been in the previous races, but it also contained a knife. Guns were prohibited by the WRL, but knives were perfectly acceptable for some reason, and he had just gotten training for the damn thing.  
”I’ll try and stay safe everyone,” he reassured again, before calling, “Lovelace? You ready?”  
_“Probably not. I’m not armed with anything except some spikes,”_ Lovelace sighed. There was a pause, before she added, _“I wish you the best of luck.”_  
“The same on your side, ma’am.”

As all five cars waited for the countdown to finish, each driver had something different on their mind. Speed and Lovelace both hoped for their own safety. Kabala had his eyes on the five million offered. The driver of the Monster Energy Drink team, Andrew Lemaire, was unexpectedly excited. And, of course, Arthur Wolfe had only one driver in his sights.

_“Three, two, one— **GO!”**_

Pedals pressed to the mettle, engines roaring, the crowds _screaming— and they were off!_ Nobody was stupid enough to try any attacks yet with so few drivers left, and so the T180s sped into the mountains, entering the caves so quickly that, if they’d been the Maltese Ice Caves, Speed had a feeling he would’ve lost control from shock. As he could hear was the screaming of tires, and the crashes of one car as Andrew Lemaire crashed into a stalagmite. Speed felt slightly sorry for the poor bastard, but kept his focus on weaving in and out of the columns of frozen limestone as he headed for the exit.

Behind the Mach 6, Wolfe was internally raging. The damn cave made it near impossible to do anything, and he wanted Racer out of the race _now_ , before anyone could try and ruin his emergency plan. Just behind him, Lovelace kept a sharp eye on the driver and on Kabala behind her. The diamond driver, as many called the prince, had eyes on the money too, and could easily cause a chain reaction of crashes if he timed it right. Thankfully, the cars exited the cave safely… and that was where Wolfe made his first move.

_“Mach 6, rear attack at six o’clock!”_ Glancing at his rear camera hurriedly, Speed saw Wolfe advance on him with a multitude of dangerous spikes surrounding his car, and instinctively swerved into reverse, extending the Mach 6’s new saws to take care of the spikes. Unfortunately for him, one of them nicked a tire, and he lurched forward before throwing the T180 into a turning flip, reinflating the tire just before he landed.  
“Is he _insane?! He could throw us **both** off the cliff!”_ he yelled over his radio.  
_“What happened? The cameras are screwing up every couple of minutes!”_ Spritle complained.  
“Wolfe is _trying to kill us!"_  
_“Oh, so the usual?”_ There was a long, peeved pause as Speed glowered in the vague direction of the copters. _“Sorry.”_

There was an attack every few minutes from then on, and eventually Speed went ‘fuck it’ and sped up until he reached the recharging station. Even then, he only got three quarters recharged before he had to launch the Mach 6 away from the insane Wolfe. He had almost every weapon Speed had ever seen on a rally car, and he was _mad._ Speed was acutely reminded of Snake Oiler because of it. At every recharging station, he just barely made it half the time, and slowly his total charge began to decrease at every station.  
“Trix, Sparky, I can’t keep the Mach 6 going for much longer without a full charge,” he realised. “Wolfe is chasing me too viciously. I might end up being forced into Kwik-Save at this rate.”  
_“Kabala just got knocked out. If you get knocked out, along with Lovelace, that money may fund one of Alpha Wolf’s most dangerous projects,”_ Trixie shivered. _“You **have** to keep going, as long as you can. There’s a recharging station in this upcoming dead zone, but said dead zone is long and twisty. We can’t land there to provide assistance, so you and Lovelace are on your own.”_  
_“Make that just Speed,”_ Lovelace said gravely, as Speed heard a massive explosion behind him. _“I tried to stop him by launching my car into his but… he had some kind of shield. Speed, I’m so sorry, but you’re on your own.”_ A sense of great quiet settled upon the radio call.  
“Okay. I’ll do my best,” Speed promised. That dead zone up ahead was likely going to be the most dangerous part. He just didn't know _how_ dangerous. 


	8. The Third Leg Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Eyes emoji) Yeah, uh, here comes the death threat.

“This is a very tense race,” Johnny noted, situated high above the mountains. “We’ve lost Lemaire, Kabala and now Lovelace to various hazards. It seems as though Wolfe is after only Speed Racer, and Lovelace attempted to sacrifice herself to save him. It tragically didn’t work, but her Kwik-Save is already in the process of being recovered. Regarding Racer and Wolfe, though…”   
“That long dead zone is known for the slipperiest ice in the kingdom,” Ingrid shuddered. “It’s rumoured someone died in there during the shaping of the track. I’m praying for Racer in that dead zone. He’s a good kid, and I’d hate to lose him.”

_“Wolfe, **kill him.”**_   
_“With pleasure.”_

Speed had barely any time to react upon reaching the recharging station before Wolfe was upon him with a sharpened knife, sharper than his, and Speed barely avoided the first stab, leaping out of the Mach 6 and sliding across the ice.  
“Come back here and die, you coward!” Wolfe snarled, and Speed did his best to slide even faster. His radio had cut out the moment he entered the cave, and every nerve in his body was screaming at him to _get out of there._ And yet, with Wolfe in between him and the Mach 6, he couldn’t. Not without serious injury.  
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” he yelled, avoiding an attempt to slice him open with some difficulty. “This is supposed to be a _race,_ damn it!”  
“A race that _you_ don’t deserve to win! You're becoming known as someone who would rather save the world than make money!” Wolfe snarled, growling angrily when he missed Speed’s shoulder. The ice made it difficult for either driver to strike a hit on the other, at least until Speed got the hang of sliding and managed to send Wolfe _flying,_ his knife breaking as it struck the iced-over crystal. Speed, slowly, began to walk backwards towards the Mach 6, but someone _grabbed_ him before he could make it halfway, muffling his cry of shock with a hand across his mouth. “Excellent work, boys," Wolfe commented, getting to his feet with a horrendous _smile_ on his face. "The boss appreciated you coming out at such short notice.” _Oh god._ Holding him were two masked men, both heavy-set and both holding him too tightly for him to move. “It’s a pity I have to kill racing’s greatest protégée,” Wolfe continued, picking up the knife’s blade, “But the boss wants this money. My head is on the plate, otherwise. So why don’t I give him _your_ head? They’ll assume a terrible accident where you decapitated yourself, your head forever missing, and your stunned face will forever be on show.” His blood immediately froze at the thought, but all Speed could do was shut his eyes and wait—

_**CRACK!**_  
“Hey, what the hell—?!” _**CRACK!**_ Suddenly, the arms that held him fell away, and he heard the sound of two bodies falling, before he heard the sound of a knife’s blade clanging harmlessly into a gap.  
“Speed, are you okay?”  
“Oh thank god—!” He knew Racer X didn’t like hugs, but Speed needed one in that moment, relief overpowering his utter horror quickly, as he began to sob. “Oh my god… Oh my god…” In most circumstances, he would’ve tried to stop crying as soon as he started, but Wolfe had just come very close to killing him, so a good sob of _relief_ was warranted.  
“Speed, I need to make certain you’re okay.” Taking a long, gasped breath, he released the hug and wiped his eyes, nodding furiously, even as his hands began to shake.  
“I’m okay, just… I think I need to sit down,” he admitted, and noticed that X was unmasked. “How’d you get here?” he asked, ignoring the fact that his friend was unmasked.  
“I’ve been here since dawn,” X admitted. “I had a terrible feeling Alpha Wolf would try and hurt you, but… Christ, I never expected _that._ It's a good thing I knocked out one of the guards and replaced him.” Nodding, and clutching onto his hands to stop the sudden shaking, Speed glanced at the unconscious guard and Wolfe.  
“What now?” he asked.  
“Wolfe is going to try and kill you again now that you’ve survived that. You’ll have thirty seconds on him tops, but you need to take him out.” The teen nodded again, just as the Mach 6 beeped, signalling a full refuelling. The two men slid over, Speed sliding inside, but before he did, he hugged X again.  
“Thank you,” he whispered. He swore he felt X’s body soften slightly from the hug.  
“You’re welcome, kid.”


	9. The Third Leg Part 3 - The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He survived the attack thanks to a timely rescue from Racer X (who is secretly his older brother Rex but shhhh), but now Speed enters the final part of the race...

“Racer and Wolfe have been in there quite some time,” Ingrid frowned. “I’ve a bad feeling we’ll need to summon an ambulance.”  
“Maybe… Hang on, there’s the exit…” Johnny peered down at the cave. Suddenly, his entire face lit up. “There’s someone coming out— _AND IT’S SPEED RACER! THE MACH 6 IS STILL IN THE RACE, FOLKS! HOLY SH**, LISTEN TO THE CROWDS!”_

_“Speed, are you okay?! What happened down there?!”_ His voice was still shaky, and he felt like he was going to throw up, but Speed managed to respond to Trixie’s worried call,  
“Wolfe tried to kill me, but Racer X just saved my life. I, uh, I think I’m in mild shock, I think I might need therapy, and I think I might throw up if I do any flips.”  
_“Eat something, before Wolfe catches up,”_ Minx suggested. _“I asked Mom Racer to pack bread and salt for this reason.”_ In the minute he had before Wolfe screamed out of the cave and headed straight for him, Speed managed to eat some bread, and felt quite a bit better as a result.

“This race is almost life and death,” Johnny commentated, half-stunned, as the two cars started racing neck-and-neck. “Wolfe seems _furious_ for whatever reason, and it looks like he’s sustained some injury, while Racer looks to be slightly in shock. Something happened in that cave, I’m telling you.”  
“Whatever happened, despite his shock, Speed Racer seems more determined than ever to win this race,” Ingrid laughed. “Go Speed Racer go! Hey, get a load of what the crowd are cheering!”  
_“GO SPEED RACER! GO SPEED RACER! GO SPEED RACER GO!”_  
“I do believe those are lyrics from the song written for Speed after his win at the Grand Prix,” Johnny grinned. “The crowd want him to win just as much as we do!” He turned to the screens. “You can do it, kid!”

Speed would not learn of the singing of the crowds for many hours. It was closing in on ten PM – just two hours before the race was intended to finish – and he’d turned his radio off, focusing more on fighting Wolfe than on his worried family. This man had tried to kill him, and for that, Speed was traumatised and _infuriated._ Heart racing as he clashed with the mad driver, both now using just pure brute force as they skidded through the dwindling mountains. Wolfe had lost his weapons, rather mysteriously, and Speed suspected X had disabled them. It wasn’t until they neared the next recharging station that Speed grimly realised he had to make a move, for otherwise they’d start that horrible trend of barely recharging again. So, lining up the Mach 6’s front with Wolfe’s bumper, and seeing the widened stretch of road, he closed his eyes and waited until his intuition screamed at him to take his shot.

“The Mach 6 just leapt into the air— _He’s caught Wolfe in his jacks— **AND AN EXPLOSION HAS OCCURRED AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE RECHARGING STATION!**_ We won’t know, until someone emerges, who just got blown up, but _god_ this is exciting,” laughed Ingrid. The two commentators paused then, as did _everyone else,_ in anticipation, waiting for the exit of a vehicle. Only one of the cars had Kwik-Saved, after all, and whoever emerged would be the winner of the race by default. “Wait... I hear an engine—.”  
_**“IT’S SPEED RACER AGAIN! SPEED RACER IS THE DEFAULT WINNER OF THE KRYSTALLYN T180 RALLY!!!!”**_

Cheers erupted from every damn vehicle in the sky, Lovelace cheering from where she was being treated for minor injuries by paramedics, and the family cheering from their copters. Trixie let out a shuddering breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding, and Sparky patted her sympathetically on the shoulder. Judging by how Speed had sounded, it had been a close call.

Two hours later, the Mach 6 was the sole car screaming into the finishing arena, to the cheers and screams of hundreds of thousands of people. The poor Mach 6, though it had sustained far less damage than it had during the Grand Prix, was battered and clearly in need of a break, and so did Speed, but first, he had a crowd to greet. Leaping out of the Mach 6 in the pose he used at the end of the Casa Cristo, he basked in the cheers of the crowd, holding up his helmet proudly as more than a few women _screamed._ He could just hear the sounds of helicopters landing nearby, but the crowd got to him first, lifting him high into the air as they carried him towards the awards stage, where Andres Goldminter and the King and Queen of Krystallyn were waiting.

“Congratulations Speed Racer,” Mr Goldminter greeted warmly, shaking Speed’s hand firmly. “You handled everything with the grace of a ballet dancer, and the stamina of a Russian squatter.” He didn’t _quite_ understand that, but he sincerely responded,  
“Thank you, sir. I… I have no idea what to do with the prize, to be honest.”  
“I’m honestly glad it was you who won it. Racer Motors is a small company, after all, and you had opposition from many sides… including a very evil man I was just informed of. A friend of yours had to rescue you from Wolfe and another man in the cave, correct?” He nodded. “The CIB has already arrested them both. May you find peace soon.”  
“Thank you.” The King and Queen initially just gave congratulations, but then the Queen – Speed would later learn she was the true ruler of the kingdom – stood forward, the King stepping back.  
“Speed Racer. What a strange name, I thought, upon hearing about your accomplishments last year. You're a fine driver,” she smiled.  
“I… Thank you, your majesty.” He quickly bowed out of instinct.  
“Rise, young one. If it had been anyone else, I would not have done this, but you are an impressive young man… with an equally impressive young woman by your side.” She pressed something that felt like jewellery into his hands, and leaned in to whisper, “I have quite good reason to believe you are essentially soulmates. If you wish to truly _become_ soulmates, gift Trixie with one of the necklaces, and you’ll know how to proceed.” He immediately started to stammer, but the Queen leaned back and shook her head with a smile. “Trust me when I say you are a special driver, Speed. Congratulations.” 

Stunned at the gift he’d just received from the Queen, Speed didn’t realise until it was too late that Sparky was about to throw him into the air, cheering loudly,  
“Hell yeah, Speed! That was _awesome!”_  
“Sparkyyyyy!” Speed laughed, slipping the necklaces inside his jacket once Sparky put him down, before hugging his friend and accepting the customary bottle of milk. As he had done almost a year ago, once he’d taken a (decent) sip, he handed to bottle to Sparky, before he was ambushed by his brother and Chim-Chim.  
“Yeah!!! Speed, you won!!!!” Spritle cheered, and Chim-Chim made his usual noises as Speed hugged both of them. Mom and Pops, who were _extremely_ worried and proud of him, then ambushed him in an even tighter hug, and he felt a few tears slip down his face, before he saw Trixie waiting patiently, and he pulled away to hug his girlfriend the tightest of all. He was far too exhausted to try dipping her, so he just cupped her face and pressed a searing, _boiling_ kiss, in comparison to the cold city that surrounded them, against her lips. Trixie returned full force, causing Spritle and Chim-Chim to fake vomit behind him, but the couple separated in time for Mr Goldminter to hand Speed his trophy and the cheque for five million dollars (the ‘in cash’ part had been a misnomer, but who _cared)._ He was still in mild shock over his attempted murder, that was for certain, but Speed knew that he had fought and _won._ So, exhausted and yet exhilarated all at once, he faced the reporters and held up his trophy with pride. Five million dollars had been added to his name (or, more correctly, Mom and Pops’ name, since he operated under the Racer Motors brand for a reason), and the _Queen_ had even given him a _gift._ Life was about to get better (somehow) for the family, and Speed knew it better than most.

**END OF MAIN STORY**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's an EPILOGUE biatch


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, uh... Yeah, here's the epilogue. It's kind of fucked up. Sorry. I don't think it's explicit, but feel free to not read this chapter if you don't like blood and brains being mentioned.

“Sir, I regret to inform you that we lost the race,” a messenger sighed. “It is unknown where Arthur Wolfe is at present.” Growling furiously, Alpha _struck_ his table _hard,_ sending pencils flying and making the messenger jump.  
“How did he fail?!” he snarled. “I even set up mercenaries in the dead zone!”  
“That’s where you fucked up,” came a quiet voice from the shadows. Scared out of his wits, the messenger fled (right into a CIB trap), but Alpha snarled again,  
“Who the hell are you?! And how _dare_ you say I fucked up!”  
“Dirk ‘Alpha Wolf’ Hartley, I am Racer X of the CIB. I am authorised to arrest you for multiple crimes, including race fixing, murder and the attempted murder of Speed Racer, an innocent teenager who is now _traumatised_ as a result. If you resist arrest, I will be forced to shoot you.”  
 _“You’re the one that knocked out my men! You're the one that ruined **everything**!”_ Alpha screamed, and lunged forward, only for a gun to meet his forehead.  
“Then you shouldn’t have tried to kill my little brother.” _**BANG!**_ Blood and brains splattered everywhere, and the evil man slumped to the ground, dead. Rex Racer shuddered at the sight. He’d never get used to being authorised to kill. He lowered the gun as Minx came in, shielding her eyes from the dead body.  
“You need to stop killing people after telling them who you are,” she sighed. “It’s a pity you had to kill the bastard – I would’ve liked to have tested the new torture equipment we confiscated from Crunchem Block.”  
“Minx, that’s technically illegal,” Rex scolded, shifting back into his Racer X persona, before calling out, “Can we get a body bag in here?” He didn’t need to mention to Minx that armed forces had already taken custody of Arthur Wolfe and the rest of the Dark Wolf team, and that she’d have a victim for the chamber soon. Yes, the CIB did some fucked up stuff, but in the end, it got them places. It would also keep his precious baby brother safe… at least, for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was The T180 Rally! Hope y'all enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by: My mind dumping an idea into my head.


End file.
